Other Comics News Parade-O-Links 08052012

(Gremlin monster dude stolen from Brad McGinty's website.)

Here are some things I found interesting in the world of minicomics, comic books, graphic novels, small press, self publishing, zines, webcomics, cartoons, digital comics, other, etc. during the week ending 08052012:


"I was 16 years old, and my girlfriend then took me to see Herbert von Karajan playing at Carnegie Hall. And my mother, who was a Popular Front Democrat, said, “You know Von Karajan was Hitler’s favorite conductor?”, and I said, “Okay, you know. But I’m gonna go anyway, because my girlfriend will fuck me if I go.” And that was that."  -Howard Chaykin.

• I've been having dreams about alien invasions.  Notice that I did not call them nightmares.  If there is one thing I am not afraid of it is aliens.  I just bash them in their big bulbous heads.  It is great fun.  Brad McGinty draws monsters, aliens, Gremlins and stuff and then sells them to you.  He posted some new prints this week.  Good stuff.  Worth a look for sure.  
• Oh, and he keeps updating Battle Zoo and it keeps blowing minds.  The Beat's mind = sploded.  The Strange Kids Club minds = also sploded. 
• The artings of the great and terrible Ashley Holt can been seen with your eyeballs in person in Spartansburg, South Carolina from right now through August 28th. 
• Did you know that ladies read comics?  It's true.  For realsies.  And (you might want to sit down for this part) they... make comics too!  Ex-sex-sior true believer!  If you don't believe me, The Beat has posted a bunch of interesting stuff.  
• I estimate that at least half of the best comics coming out of North America in the past 18 months have been webcomics.  But, according to the contents of the next Best American Comics book, I am totally wrong.  That's right kids, nobody reads or makes webcomics and they are still not really comics.  Kate Beaton?  Never heard of her.  Oh, don't yell at me about it you webcomic outcasts.  Yell at Françoise Mouly.  Yell at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

(Krunk Emperor Putin stolen from this jerk.)

• Following the Pussy Riot trial on twitter was the best decision I made this week. 
• Before Sandman is burning in hell.  So is Beetle Bailey. 
• Paul Jenkins is crazy.  I like that about him.  And he is a really nice guy.  The first time I met him was at an in-store signing.  He was sneaking drinks from a can of Guinness he had under the table.  It was happy hour somewhere. 
• So I guess the last issue of Jeff Smith's RASL is out.  I picked up the first few issues and really liked it but I never saw the last half dozen or so in any of the area comics shops.  I admit that I get kind of excited when a good series ends. It motivates me to hunt down all the issues I'm missing and have a complete read through.  Tom Spurgeon had some thoughts on the series ending.  My thoughts include the idea that with Smith off RASL and Grant Morrison leaving Action Comics, DC should just hand Superman to Smith and let him and his Cartoon Books team handle the art, story, colors, editing, printing, folding, staples etc. Oh if only we could get a Superman comic at the level of quality of the average Jeff Smith comic.  Just imagine how great the trade collection would be.  That boom you just heard is a thousand librarians heads exploding at the thought of it. 
• And speaking of Grant Morrison and Superpants (here is the interview some folks are pissy about) I don't really care what he says in an interview.  I like his comics.  Actually, when you take into account how awful editorial at DC is, I think his comics are miracles.  And you can call him a sell out or be "disappointed" in how he spoke about Siegel and Shuster but the most scathing rebuttal of how DC has handled Superman is in Action Comics 9 which Grant Morrison wrote and managed to get DC to publish and the biggest love letter to Siegel and Shuster we are likely to ever see was All-Star Superman.  And I know none of that is going to make wrongs right or put an appropriate amount of money in the pockets of the Siegel's and Shusters but... was it ever Grant Morrison's job to make those things happen?  Let's not forget that Time Warner fired the one guy standing between them and more Watchmen.  All I'm saying is, don't expect your favorite creators to be heroes.  They just write them. 

(Image from Black Kiss II stolen from Comic Book Critic.)

• The first issue of Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss II is out.  Except maybe not in England.    (And maybe not on your Apple supported cell pad pod phone apps.)  I just can't overstate how much I love Howard Chaykin comics.  So maybe you want to go buy two copies and mail me one.  Chaykin talks about it here,  here and here.  UPDATE:  The Brits get to look at the naughty bits too!  Freedom!
• Hooo boy.  I'm sure glad I did not accidentally buy my daughter that Storm statutory rape comic the last time I saw it in a half off box. 
• David Mack's Kabuki: The Alchemy is one of the most amazing comics I've ever read.  It is art about making art.  Chris Ware level comics making but, In my opinion, much more interesting. Where Ware makes you want to kill yourself, Mack is inspiring.  Yeah, yeah, I know, optimism is for losers.  Pfftt.  Mack implied on twitter this week that the book might be out of print soon so maybe you want to look into getting a copy.

(Image stolen from Julia Wertz's website.)

• Julia Wertz is running an excerpt from her upcoming book over the next few weeks. 
•  "No father should ever have to explain a terrible Batman story to his child. But sometimes, I guess it just can't be avoided, and when your kids find out about Hush, it's up to you to take responsibility."
• Josh Bayer talks to Pat Aulisio on Pat's podcast. 
• Chris Mautner talks about Phoebe Gloeckner.
• Years ago some dude made some comics about Batman and a little girl where Batman punches up Superman and Ronald Regan's head says some funny things.  No one liked it.  It did not have any influence.  It did not inspire a whole bunch of movies that did not make a bajillion dollars.  And now, Warner Premier is releasing a direct to video cartoon and I double dog dare them to put Reagan's head in the thing. 

Get More: MTV Shows

• Oh man again with the "Call Me Maybe" of comics,  Kickstarter.  Dave Sim talked about his Kickstarter. "I'm starting with the supposition that Kickstarter will still be a novelty and "where people go" through the end of the year or into 2013 so it's worth planning another campaign centred on the CEREBUS volume for 2013.  But Kickstarter could very well turn out to be a "Just Too, Too 2013" thing by 2014 and a CB radio."   Sean T. Collins had 16 thoughts on it.  I talked about it a little last week.  One thought I left out was that my main problem is that I don't have enough money to take advantage of all the great deals on there.  Jerks!
• This is some amazing fighting comics stuff to look at.  I've wanted to do that sort of thing for years but no one likes me. 
• I went to see a wrestling show on Friday night and got to see this guy beat the snot out of three grown men.  Yeah, I know it does not have anything to do with comics but you gotta watch it.  Trust me. 

• Olympic loser street comics. 
• Top Shelf is offering an exclusive signed pre-order of Alan Moore's new book.  I know this may sound crazy but it is totally possible to take pre-orders without making a Kickstarter video.  What will they think of next!
• And finally-  Freedom is just another word for seven years in Siberia. 

Oh, and one more last thing!  Did you know you can leave comments on these posts here at file under other?  It's true!  And, I'll probably respond.  Twitter and facebook killed the message boards but that's no reason why you can't argue with me, praise me or leave me recipes.  It's your intronet.  Have fun!

And that's just a taste of some of the interesting things going out there in the wonderful world of comics and things. I can't keep up with it all but I do keep up with a lot of it on twitter and I try to re-tweet the good stuff. You should probably follow me there. If you did something to make comics better this week then high-five!

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

p.s. Say you want a leader but you can't seem to make up your mind. I think you'd better close it and let me guide you to my twitter feed.

p.p.s. Let's pretend we went to high school together on facebook.

p.p.p.s. Google + is another place you can read the same thing I posted here.

p.p.p.p.s. I'll tumblr for ya.

Other Comics News Parade-O-Links 07292012

(Yep. Marvel made a Laff-A-Lympics comic.  Image stolen from Comic Vine.)

Here are some things I found interesting in the world of minicomics, comic books, graphic novels, small press, self publishing, zines, webcomics, cartoons, digital comics, other, etc. during the week ending 07292012:

• The only Olympic games I ever cared about were the Laff-A-Lympics and Bullets and Bracelets.  (Hat tip to Noah Berlatsky.)
• R. Crumb and some other old rich guy from France made a cartoon.  R. Crumb is "down wit dat". 

• I wrote a report on RobCon.
• I wrote a review of Dracula the Unconquered.
• I tried to mow my yard but the blade got bent so I guess my days of giving an F what my yard looks like are over. 
• Grant Morrison is going to stop making superhero comics (exactly like he did when he left X-Men and made some more personal stuff for a while) and then eventually, I'm positive, he will make superhero comics again because of course he would and he is totally not leaving superhero comics, he is just leaving those superhero comics. 
• In other things that are totally not news I'm going to stop eating Fritos.
• Until tomorrow when I start eating Fritos again.
• With Morrison out of the way, I'm ready to write Action Comics.  Email me. 
• Marjane Satrapi's Chicken With Plums is a wonderful book and it looks like it will be a wonderful movie.

• Brad McGinty has some amazing new prints and stuff for sale in his new store. 
• The four greyhound jockeys of the comics apocalypse continue to burn comics in hell.
• Rob Clough covered a whole bunch of comics from recent CCS grads. Here, here,  here, here and here. 
• Alternative Comics is back!  I'm pretty happy about that.  When I first moved to a civilized area of America and discovered comic shops that carried alternative comics it was the books published by Top Shelf and Alternative that first jumped out at me.  A lot of my favorite cartoonists came out of those first few years at Alternative.  
• David Mack talked to Ted x.
  
• TCJ reviewed Josh Simmons new book The Furry Trap.  I really want that book. 
• I always love it when Josh Latta reviews candy or toys.  Here is a Batman robot thing.  Here is one on a Mickey Mouse toy.  
• Cartoonists on the world we live in. 
• And finally:  Put on your ranting shoes...

Kickstarter, Kickstarter, Kickstarter.  Dan Nadel finally reached the breaking point and used one particular project as a target for a bunch of anti-Kickstarter arrows he had been sharpening up.  Oooh ranting!  Don't mind if I do!  

Kickstarter is today the same thing that I thought it was on the first day I ever heard about it.  A crowd funding tool with a social networking feel.  And I'm okay with that 100%.  Or, maybe 95%.  Let me break it down.  Here is what I like about that.  I like that it has made it very easy to help creators in completing and producing new work.  I like that you as a reader/customer can get in on the "ground floor" and pre-order the work and get special exclusives and junk.  That is neat.  That is like getting issues of Bantha Tracks in the mail as you wait for Return of the Jedi to be released.  I dig it.  I also like that some crazy stuff that “might not exist without it” can exist.  Yayyy crazy stuff.  I also like that it seems to help make books available faster than the normal 18 month to three year turn around we see with publishers. 

Now, let me break down what creeps me out about Kickstarter.  Dan Nadel touches on one part of it.  Amazon.  Maybe this is my years in book retail talking but Amazon is not a friend to be trusted.  Amazon is the nuclear power plant you don't want in your back yard.  Its power is undeniable.  It is more efficient, cleaner and less expensive but it may leave you pissing radioactive blood.  So you run down the street to where the hospital used to be and there is just an ugly zit faced kid there now.  He holds up his cell pad pod phone and tells you that if you want the medicine to get rid of the "glow piss" then you are going to have to order it from Amazon.  

But the Amazon problem is a part of the cost of capitalism right?  I know that is an over simplification but if you are going to use a tool you probably have to pay for it sometime right?  And that’s what Kickstarter is.  It is a tool.  And my biggest problems with Kickstarter are not with the tool but how people have chosen to use the tool.

When Kickstarter began I think that a lot of people, myself included, saw it as this great way of crowd funding projects that the publishers could not presently invest in.  These were underdog projects that “would not exist without it”.  There was a feel good story vibe about it and the comics community got behind it.  And not just in comics.  The New York Times called it “the people’s NEA”.  We collectively granted it the kind of goodwill a great charity would deserve.  We liked, we shared, we tweeted, we re-tweeted, we backed etc. etc.   

All the bloggers got behind it and started giving different Kickstarter projects free publicity.  Free PR.  And that my friends is probably where it got a little bit gross.   That is when it became no longer just a crowd funding tool but it became a PR tool.  That my friends is when existing publishers and existing successful creators that don’t need crowd funding started paying attention.  And now, it is not a crowd funding tool for those guys.  It is a new publishing model with a built in free PR machine.  

And I’m not against new publishing models.  And I guess a new PR machine is no worse than an old PR machine.  But it is important to remember why that free PR machine is there.  The comics community got behind Kickstarter in a big way and gave it free PR because of what we thought it was.  Because it was the little guy.  It was all of us in it together.  Because it was someone taking a chance and trying to make something that “would not exist without it”.  That free PR machine was built on the backs of the little guys and the crowds they created.  The crowd part of that crowd funding was built on a well intentioned community that wanted to be a part of something new and positive.  

And now, we have this.  And it is gross.  That is Michael Phelps showing up at your kid’s swim meet.  At first it is a big deal and the news vans show up and everyone gets their picture in the paper.  All that attention can’t be bad right?  But then you notice that Michael Phelps took all the kids’ medals and trophies home with him. 

Oh, and one more last thing!  Did you know you can leave comments on these posts here at file under other?  It's true!  And, I'll probably respond.  Twitter and facebook killed the message boards but that's no reason why you can't argue with me, praise me or leave me recipes.  It's your intronet.  Have fun!

And that's just a taste of some of the interesting things going out there in the wonderful world of comics and things. I can't keep up with it all but I do keep up with a lot of it on twitter and I try to re-tweet the good stuff. You should probably follow me there. If you did something to make comics better this week then high-five!

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

p.s. Say you want a leader but you can't seem to make up your mind. I think you'd better close it and let me guide you to my twitter feed.

p.p.s. Let's pretend we went to high school together on facebook.

p.p.p.s. Google + is another place you can read the same thing I posted here.

p.p.p.p.s. I'll tumblr for ya.

HeroesCon 2011.

Before I get started on this report I'll take a second to show off the above piece of art which I got from Patrick Dean.  Amazing huh?  I got two things from Patrick Dean, that drawing and a big club soda spray pattern on my luggage.  I will cherish both of them eternally.

I'm still recovering from HeroesCon weekend.  The show in itself was very smooth and laid back but the week without sleep leading up to it will take some time to get over.  In the days leading up to HeroesCon I took on an illustration job and also decided to add a three page comic to my new comic #RockingSoHard.  (On sale now!)  So, I did not sleep a lot leading up to HeroesCon.  Nobody's fault but mine.  I printed my minicomic in the AM before the show and drove to Charlotte on about one and a half hours of sleep.  Good times.

It was a pleasant drive.  My pal Red Bull was nice enough to navigate me to yet another comics show and I was able to enjoy the perfect weather and lovely countryside between VA and NC.  I got to the show late on Friday.  I think that by the time I parked and picked up my badge it was around 2:00 when I set up on Indie Island.  I was really happy with my table location.  We were facing a back wall, which is not the best place to be, but I got to set up with my super best pals.  I was on a row with J. Chris Campbell, Brad McGinty, Josh Latta and Ashely Holt of Wide Awake Press and we were in a square of tables with fine Top Shelf folks like Robert Venditti, Duane Ballanger, Van Jensen and Andy Runton.  Across the aisle to my left was Henry Eudy.  Across the aisle to my right was Ben Towle.  And in the next section up form us was the GA gang including Patrick Dean, Robert Newsome, Joey Weiser, Drew Weing and Rich Tommaso.  So most of the folks I wanted to say hit to and hang out with were right there within shouting distance.

Set up was easy.  We had plenty of room.  Everything was smooth.  So smooth that you can almost forget what a great job the HeroesCon staff and volunteers do.  I never had to ask for anything.  Every thing was in it's right place and as it should be.  I simply strolled into the show, picked up my badge and strolled to my table.  Smiling faces greeting me at every turn.   I've had a more difficult time making it to my desk at work on many occasions.  So, great job HeroesCon staff.  I heart you so much.

There are going to be a lot of parts of the HeroesCon experience that I won't comment on in this post because I either missed them, did not care about them or was just oblivious.  I'm at HeroesCon in three capacities.  Three often conflicting capacities.  As a creator I'm there to sell comics, sell art, sell sketches and grow my readership.  As a writer-about-comics I'm there to check out what is new and exciting in alt/indie/underground/mini/art-comics.  As a fan I'm there to shop for stuff I don't see a lot since I'm not a weekly comic shop guy anymore.  Those second two capacities often conflict with the first so I'm not the best person to turn to for any kind of sales estimates.  And that first capacity keeps me stuck at my table a lot limiting my time to be of much use on the second two.  That first capacity also forces me to miss out on panels and a lot of other things any fan would enjoy.  In short, this post is not going to report to you the HeroesCon experience. It can only report my experience and I'll break that up in three main sections.

 

As a creator:

Friday was really slow.  Not much traffic on indie island.  I did okay selling sketches and sold a few of my new comic.  I took advantage of the slow time to say hi to pals and drop off a few comp copies of my new book.

Saturday was busy right off the bat.  I felt like I was sketching from open to close.  I sold a good amount of minicomics at every price point that I offer and I sold original art.  Sketches probably made up the largest share of my transactions but original art the largest part of my money.  I had several return customers ready to buy the new comic no questions asked.  That's how you want it.  A growing readership.  Good times.

Sunday had me busy with the sketches right off the bat again but I think I sold a lot less comics on Sunday.  I literally had people buy original art off me without even looking at my comics. 

All and all I did fine as a creator and I am more than glad that I made the show.  But I think things are changing and I and other creators will have to adapt.  I think HeroesCon is becoming a sketch convention.  I just don't see it as a show where people come to buy comics.  The average attendee already has a pull list and a big comics collection.  They are looking for what they can not get at their local shop.  They are looking for autographs, sketches and original art.  And that's fine.  It if it is a sketch convention then I still want to be in that game.  I just need to plan for it better and be ready with more original art next year.  I did okay.  Foot traffic may have been down but I was smart enough to bring some original art and I get paid a whole lot more for that than I do a minicomic.  Next year I'll be ready with even more. 

Oh and one more thing about the sketches.  They were a lot of fun and a great challenge.  The themed sketchbooks that folks pass around are very cool.  I get to see all this great art from other artists and I get to the challenge of drawing stuff I would never think of.  I drew stuff Pinky and the Brain, MODOK, Firestorm, a sea monster, a robot Bigfoot with Boba Fett's helmet, wrestler Jimmy Boogie Woogie Man Valiant riding a shark in outer space... etc.  It was great!

As a writer-about-comics:

As a writer-about-comics/critic/columnist/etc. I totally failed.  I barely looked at any of the tables outside of Indie Island and when I did all I managed to do was say hi to a few people and pick up a few books.  I had a list of about 20 creators that I wanted to speak to but I just totally failed.  I also failed to make any of the panels.  I really, really, wanted to make that humor panel, the webcomics panel, the Kickstarter panel and Ben Towle's panels but I was too busy sketching.  Sorry readers.

Normally I would post a pic of everything I got and write some brief reviews but my loot is still in a suitcase.  I did have a lot of folks drop off comp copies for fuo.  Thank you comp copy dropper offers!  I will get to your stuff.  I had three books that I wanted to pick up.  One was Robert Venditti's new book the Homeland Directive.  I totally failed to get home with a copy.  I'm gonna blame that on sleep deprivation.  I talked to Rob about it Friday morning and looked through it.  It looks great.  I tricked myself into thinking that I got a copy on Friday even though Friday me was really dumb and was expecting Sunday me to pick it up.  I'll either get it online when I have some funds or I'll get it at SPX.  

I had better luck getting Dustin Harbin's new book.  It's the 2nd collection of his online diary strips.  I've already read the strips online but I wanted the book in part because Dustin is very good at making minicomics.  I'll do a more formal review of it later and post some pics but I'll just say it's a fantastic looking comic.   (And I got a little sketch in it.  Thanks Dharbin!)

I was super excited to pick up Brad McGinty's new hardback collection of Wysteria.  Brad bound this sucker together by hand and it looks fantastic.  I can't wait to read it to see how it ends.  I'll post a full review of it later with pics and all that jazz.  Brad also hooked me up with a super cool ninja turtle t-shirt he made.  Thanks Brad!

Thanks to everyone that gave or traded me stuff.  I'll get through my suitcase and blab about all of it here at fuo as soon as I can.

As a fan:

I was busy enough at my table that when I did go shopping it was in a frantic running around style.  When I'm shopping with the dealers I'm really just looking for two things.  Toys for my kids and really cheap comics for myself.  Like I told one dealer, quality was the absolute last thing I'm looking for in comics.  I want them for a dollar or less.  Coffee stains and cigarette burns are not only tolerated but they are preferred.  I had a surprisingly hard time finding comics I was looking for.  I'm mainly looking for 70's Marvel and 70's Kirby at DC.  I'm sure every comic I want was at that show but I did not find many in my price range.  The #1 thing I was looking for in my cheap comic hunt was The Essential Thor #1.  I got it for $5.  Success!

As far as toys go I had a very hard time finding anything for my girls.  I was looking for just about any girl super hero toys and there was almost nothing.  The dealers all seemed to have the same stuff as last year.  Minus what they sold last year.  I was disappointed.  Josh Latta found some action figures that were Disney characters dressed as Star Wars characters.  My kids love both so I picked up Minnie Mouse as Padme and Minnie Mouse as Princess Leia.  I eventually found a nice Batgirl action figure and paid about $15 more for it than I should have but after three days of looking you do what you can.  (The Batgirl toy's arm broke off as soon as it came out of the package.  Lame.)  My four year old is into Sonic the Hedgehog so I picked her up a nice pack of Sonic toys for $10.  Not a bad deal.

I did find a few comics cheap.  I filled in some of the holes in my daughter's Batman and The Outsiders collection.  On Sunday a dealer was blowing out comics at ten cents each so I picked up a bunch of  Teen Titans and Dazzler for my daughter and some American Flag for myself.  That's what I'm talking about.  If I had time I could have come home with a whole suitcase of good stuff.

As a fan I'm also not above standing in line to meet some creators.  I did not have much luck with this.  I really could not be away from my table long enough to stand in line.  I wanted to say hi to Eric Canete and Ryan Sook.  Those are two of my current faves.  Each time I swung by Canete's table he had a crowd.  I never found Sook.  I did find David Mack.  I'm a big David Mack fan.  I've met and bought stuff off of Mack enough times over the years that I could just kind of pop in, have him give me the new stuff really quickly and get out without taking up much of his time or being away from my table too long.  David Mack is one of the nicest and most appreciative creators I've ever known in all these years of comics life.  I got some fantastic looking comics from him.  Not to turn this report into a David Mack article but I love the collage style he has been using for the past several years.  I think he's really pushing and challenging what you can do with comics.  I think he is vastly underrated. 

I did get to check out the art auction.  It was loud in there so I could only take about a half hour of it but I did look at all of the art.  There were some amazing pieces and it was mind blowing to see how much money they were raising.  It was cool to see several folks I know bring in some big bucks with their contributions. 

Random general impressions:

The show felt slower and smaller to me in almost every area.  Dealers, guest, attendees, costumes etc.  They say attendance was up and I'm sure they would not fib to us but I have a feeling that a lot of attendees were in out a lot quicker than in the past.  I think people came in, hit their points of interest and left as opposed to taking advantage of the show over a whole three days.  I don't have any evidence to back this up but a lot of the people I saw at my table told me that they were just there for one day when in the past I had seen them over the whole weekend.  I also saw people leaving the show a lot earlier than in the past.

Like I said earlier, it seemed like the dealers had a lot less and that what they did have was the same stuff as last year.  In the past the dealers have been very reflective of what is going on in the direct market.  You could expect to see lots of new toys, statues, t-shirts etc. related to the most recent event comics and summer movies.  If this year's dealers reflect what is going on in the direct market right now then what is going on is a fire sale.  Now a fire sale is great for a cheapskate like me but it does not keep the attendees walking the aisles in awe as much as the latest thing would.

And speaking of the latest thing...  I don't think we have one right now.  I heard people talk about the Thor movie a little but I never heard one word about the new X-Men movie.  The only X-Men related stuff I saw was Emma Frost fan art that I would attribute more to the Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely comics of the last decade than to the new movie.  There were big Green Lantern banners up but I did not see any new Green Lantern merch at the dealers. 

And please don't go thinking that I'm crapping on the dealers.  I love me some dealers.  I just think times are tough.  For the past several years at HeroesCon I had been thinking that if we were in a recession that it had not hit the convention floor yet.  I think this year it hit.  I found this interesting article about the economy of Charlotte that backs up a lot of my fears.  Times is tough yo.  Good luck Charlotte.  I'm rooting for ya.

I also think timing might be a factor on foot traffic.  The show was earlier this year.  I for one showed up late on Friday due in part to still having a kid in school and needing to get her there before I could leave town.

It's also really expensive.  I was a guest.  Thank God and HeroesCon that I was a guest.  But it is still expensive.  The price of gas is just devastating.  Even at the con rate The Westin is a very expensive hotel.  I'm just a simpleton from the country but usually when I stay at a hotel I get free wi-fi, free breakfast, a microwave so I can eat in room, swimming pool, hot tub, weight room and most importantly without question I get free parking.  The Westin has none of that.  Parking was a killer.  Now I love The Westin.  It is super nice and the staff is great.  But it is very expensive.  I'd much rather have given the money I spent there to artists and dealers.  The Westin is right there at the convention center and it's where everyone hangs out but going forward, I'll probably have to explore other options.  (Lack of free parking is gonna be the deal breaker.)  

But let's not end on a negative note.  I had a super time at the show.  It was great to hang out with my comics pals for three days.  My head is still full of ideas and inspiration from so many great conversations.  Thanks so much to all my pals, peers, attendees, customers, HeroesCon staff and volunteers.  I'm very lucky to be a part of such a brilliant group of comics folks even if we only see each other a few times a year.  I can't wait to start writing, drawing and making new comics to show off to them next time.  See ya next year HeroesCon!

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith 

*Convention images stolen from Exile on Plain Street.  Again.  Thanks!